Mapping Out Your Website Design (Preview)

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Explanation

Depending on your learning style you may want to complete this assignment earlier in the course. You might find it helps you relate to the other assignments. In this lesson you will get a chance to take a deep dive into how you would like your website to look. What features you would like to have on it now and what features you might like to have in the future. You will get to use your creative juices and shoot for the moon here. In the next lesson, you will actually have to build it though. ;-(

Frustration Alert

You want me to design my entire site when I am knew to this whole thing? Seriously?! Perhaps you are feeling this way right now. When I first started putting together websites for my classes I had a very limited idea of exactly what I wanted. I just knew I wanted to do it. I felt empowered knowing I did not have to completely finish the website design all in one session. That my initial map was just a start and that I would add to the map and the website along the way. The best way to build a site is to just do it. At this point in the course you have the skills, or at least a reference to all the skills you will need. As Mr. Nike says, “JUST DO IT.”

Assignment

Grab a free mind mapping program. My personal favorite is Xmind. Feel free to do it by hand if you prefer. I like big whiteboards for this sort of thing too.

Map out your web pages. Start with the top level such as class subjects, or similar, and then start listing the topics that are underneath.

Add some notes to each of the web pages so you will know what content goes there later when you start building

In the comments section below, leave a brief response (for or against) this statement: “It is crazy to build a website without a plan. Those people who just ‘go for it’ are silly!”

If you have done so already, consider getting your own Gravatar. This will enable a picture of some sort to be next to any comment you make on this website and many, many others around the web. Interested? Try it out here.

Upload a copy of your web map. You can do this as a picture, PDF or link